Mail-carrier&#39;s box.



J. A. KILPATRI OK.

' MAIL. GABBIER'S BOX.

IOA'I'IOH FILED JULY APP 7, 1911. 1,018,325, Patented Feb.20, 1912.

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J. A. KILPATRIGK.

MAIL OARRIBRS BOX. APPLIUATION FILED JULY 7, 1911v Patented. Feb; 20, 1912.

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WIT NE88E8 JOHN ALMOND KILPATRICK, 0F FORT DODGE, IO WA.

MAIL-CARRIERS Box.

Specification otLetters Patent. 'Patented Feb. 20, 1912,

Application filed July 7, 1911. Serial No. 637,294.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN A. KILPATRICK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Fort Dodge, in the county of V'Vebster and State of Iowa, have invented a new and Improved Mail-Carriers Box, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact descripi arranged retaining devices E in the form tion.

The invention relates to rural mail delivsoiled or mutilated.

For the purpose mentioned, use is made of a casing provided with a pair of rollers, and a web carrying a series of pockets for the reception of letters and other mail matter to be delivered to the delivery boxes on the route, the web winding up from one: roller and unwinding from the other roller. On the casing are also arranged special T compartments for the reception of postage i stamps, money orders, envelops and mail matter that cannot be bent and carried in the pockets.

A practical embodiment of th'e invention. is represented in the accompanying drawi ings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the mail.

carriers box with the covers in open position; Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same in completely open position; Fig. 3 is a cross section of the mail carriers box; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the same with the covers open; and Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross section of the bearings for the rollers.

A casing A, preferably of sheet metal, and of a suitable size, is provided with a strap B for conveniently supporting the mail carrlers box from the shoulders of the mail carrier. The casing A is provided at the upper rear portion with an extension comartment C having a cover C and cont-ainmg a tray D, pivoted at its ends at D on the ends of the compartment C so as to permit of swinging the tray D outward into an open position at the time the cover 0' is open to gain access to the lower portion of the compartment C, as will be readily un derstood by reference to Fig. 2. The compartment C is provided with a corner pocket 1 C for the reception of postage stamps and the like, and in the said compartment C can be stored money orders, envelops and the like, and in the bottom of the tray D are of flat springs for retaining the mail or other matter in the trayunder the retaining devices E to permit of swinging the tray D into open position without losing its contents.

The front of the casing A is divided and form separate compartments for the recep:

tion of postal cards, photographs and other mail matter not capable of being bent, and

also for the reception of collected letters to be mailed by the mail carrier on his return to the postoflice. i

' The cover F is held in closed position by spring hingesF and the compartment is held in normal closed position by spring hinges G connecting the casing A and its portion A',as shown in Fig. 3,whereby the said compartment F with the cover F closed can beswung downward at the front of; the casing A to gain access to the interior of v the casing A and the means arranged therein for carrying the letters as presently to be described.

\Vithin the casing A are arranged bearings H and H for rollers I and J to turn in, and on which winds and unwinds a web K of canvas orv other suitable fabric material, and provided on one face with pockets L for the reception of letters and other mail matter. The web K contains as many pockets L as there are delivery boxes along the postal route, the pockets being arranged on the web K in the order of the delivery boxes along the route, so that the mail for each delivery box is placed in a corresponding pocket, which is preferably provided at the front face with a name plate L indicating the name of the owner of the corresponding delivery box.

The shafts I and J of the rollers I and J stood b 1 rangement into pro er view while on the route, for re- 1 moval 0 the mail matter from the pockets to the deliveryboxes on the route. From the foregoin it will be seen that by the arescribed, the mail carrier on turnin the corresponding roller can sucoessive y bring the pockets L into extended position between the-rollers for the removal of the mail as he proceeds on the route. It

is understood that in order to obtain access to a displayed pocket L, it is necessary to swing the compartment F into an open position, as indicated in Fi 2.

The bearings H and I and J, and for this purpose the bearings H and H are provided with fixed members H, H and movable members H", H mounted to slide in guideways H, and pressed :1 art and in contact with the rollers I and by a spring N, as will be readily underreference to Fi 5. By t e use of the mall carriers box, mail matter, stamps, money orders and the like can be readily and safely carried along by the 5 carrier to their destination without danger l of such matter beinglost, soiled or mutilated, and the contents of the mail carriers box are not liable to be moistened or other wise injured in rainy weather.

Having thus described my invention, I i

"are arranged to prevent accldental unwinding of the rollers claim as new Patent: c

1. A mail carriers box, comprising a casing, fixed members secured to the inner sides of the casing and having concave faces, rollers having their ends disposed against the said concave faces, and provided with cranks extending exteriorly of the casing, guides fixed to the inner casing sides between the rollers, members slidable in said guides and provided with concave faces engageable outwardly against said rollers, springs disposed within said guides and compressed between the adjacent ends of said sliding members, and a flexible mail-carrying web fixed on the said rollers so as to wind up on one and unwind from the other.

a 2. A mail carriers box comprising a casing having a top compartment, a hinged cover normally closing said compartment, and a tray mounted in the upper portion of said compartment, on pivots adapted to permit said tray to be swun upwardly and expose the lower portion 0 said compartment.

3. A mail carriers box comprising a casing open at its upper front portion and having its front divided to form upper and and desire to secure by Letters lower portions of which the former is hinged to the latter, a receptacle secured to the inner side of the upper front casing portion and of which the latter forms a part, and a cover hinged to said upper casing portion and closing said receptacle and the upper open casing portion.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

J OHN ALMOND KILPATRICK.

Witnesses:

D. J. COUGHLAN, W.L. HAMIL'mN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the commissioner of fatents, ,washing'ton, D. G. 

